ICE program: Volunteer for deportation, get 90 days to leave family

Immigration officials next week will launch a voluntary deportation campaign in five U.S. cities, asking illegal immigrants to turn themselves in rather than face the possibility of being rounded up at home or work.

While immigrant rights defenders call the 18-day program absurd and unlikely to work, ICE officials say it is designed to ease the pain of family separation.

"This helps address concerns raised by community groups and others that (deportations) unnecessarily disrupt families," said Richard Rocha, an ICE spokesman. "It can give parents and those who have been ordered removed to have a greater voice in their removal."

Immigrants who surrender will be given up to 90 days to say their goodbyes before immigration officials transport them to their homeland.

The move comes amid growing criticism of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has aggressively stepped up deportation over the past five years.

"They are desperate to show they are trying to do deportations in a humane and compassionate manner," said Angela Sanbrano, president of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities.

"The compassionate and humane option would be to provide them with some sort of temporary status until we reform immigration laws.

"This does not alleviate trauma at all," she said.

Only immigrants without criminal records are eligible for the program that runs in Santa Ana, San Diego, Chicago, Phoenix and Charlotte. It starts Tuesday and will run through Aug. 22.

Over the past five years, immigration officials have stepped up deportations, going door-to-door to arrest and then deport criminal immigrants and those ordered removed. But immigrant groups complain ICE often picks up dozens of other undocumented immigrants along the way. They say the random nature of the sweeps terrifies communities.

Between October and May, special ICE teams have deported 1,667 Los Angeles area noncriminal immigrants.